In one embodiment, an intermediate device may determine a source route in use from a source to a destination in a reactive routing computer network, and may also determine a request to provide local repair for the source route for duration of a timer set by the source. In response to the request (e.g., and in response to a poor/failed connection), the device may discover a local repair path based on a limited-scope discovery, and maintains the local repair path for the source route until expiration of the timer.